Sometimes we talk about "not being in the loop" - that feeling that we've missed out on key information or decisions. Where do decisions get made? How do we get heard fairly on important issues? Our Church Council is the forum for discussing important decisions, keeping people updated on major projects and ongoing ministries, and for raising ideas and issues for general discussion.

Anyone can attend a Church council meeting - and our next one is after worship and fellowship this Sunday, October 4th. Please come - and participate!

The new online look

As you may have noticed, our Web site has changed its look over the past several weeks. Underneath it all, it's actually the same "plumbing" - a Web site hosting and design service called Weebly - but this plumbing offered a lot of capabilities that we weren't using in the past.

Why a new look? Well, first and foremost, a Web site is telling the world who we are, and who we can be for the world. Our new design is meant to help people to understand the mission of the church as it relates to their world, and to help people to understand where their lives can fit in that mission. It is also designed to be attractive and readable on mobile phones and tablets - our message can reach people effectively wherever they are connecting to the Internet. More details on the design changes follow below.

As a church that is both very established (since 1791!) and very new in its formation of its identity and worship practices, First UMC Middletown's message offers a lot to our community. We offer people the stability of a faith tradition that has grown through centuries, and an openness to that tradition's place in the future of Middletown and the world. The Web site design is meant to convey this message in many ways.

One key element of the design is that it is "you"-centered: what is it that we, as a church, can do for people in our community and elsewhere? How can we meet their needs? How can we connect with you? These three simple and important themes form the backbone of the Web site's navigation. Throughout the Web site there are calls to action and contact, to encourage people not to just browse, but to make that first contact with us in worship, events, and in personal communications.

And, of course, the Web site is now using its "blog" news feature more actively - it's the same feature that we were using in the past to post our weekly newsletter, but now that newsletter is one of many communications coming through the blogging mechanism. You can subscribe via email to the blog (including the newsletter) through the link found on the right of every blog post, and on our home page. This way, you get all of the best that our Web site has to offer delivered directly to your email inbox.

Access to the Web site is through the same address as before - fumcmiddletownct.org - but that's a hard address to remember, so there's an alternative address that people can type in that brings you to the same Web site - firstmiddletown.org. This will allow people to remember how to find us on the Web more easily, via posters, mailings, radio, and other public communications.

A Web site is never "set in stone" - it's a living document, which is meant to adjust to our changing needs for communication and for projecting our identity as a Christian community committed to the traditions of the United Methodist Church. So, as you find items that need to be corrected or updated, please make sure that they come to our attention. Contact outreach@fumcmiddletownct.org with your comments and suggestions. May this work bless our mission with God's hope and inspiration!

The new mobile look

Tres Dias, a nationwide Christian renewal fellowship, blessed First UMC Middletown's worship with their powerful presence this Sunday, through gifts of music from songwriter Pepi Capezzone, witnesses from Rick "Kel" Kelly & Dottie Pierce, and many other members of Tres Dias in Connecticut who came to participate in this special worship event.

​Whether or not you're the sort of person who is likely to go on a Tres Dias retreat (quite few think that it's not for them before they go and try it!), we can be grateful for the gifts of faith that live in people from around our state who were willing to share them with us and to encourage us in our own journey. We thank these talented and dedicated Christians - and hope that their spiritual renewal will continue to lift them and others up in faith.

A special live performance for our worship this week features Lawrence "Pepi" Capezzone and friends. They are musicians with a unique sound - in part because Pepi is a very accomplished songwriter (2 CDs!), and brings his own life stories to life in them - and God's story. It's moving, it's inspiring, and it's going to make you feel glad that you came to worship with us this Sunday, 10AM, 44 Maynard Street. Come join us for this special treat, as we celebrate faith as people who hope in God's promises together!

What a great church picnic we had on Sunday! We thank Ted and Shirley Lawrence for their hosting of the event, for the use of their back yard and beautiful home on such a wonderful late Summer day, and for all of the people who contributed, food, fun and fellowship. It was a memorable time of celebrating who we are as a church, who are are as God's children, and who we are becoming through faith. Initial photos are posted on our Web site here, and we hope that you submit others for inclusion for our memories. Thanks for coming! SEE ALL OF OUR PHOTOS

First United Methodist ChurchMiddletown, CT THIS WEEKEND AT FUMCSeptember 20, 201517th Sunday After PentecostSermon"Let’s Act Like Children"byBarbara Marks and Children's SermonbyJohn BlossomPlease join us for worshipSunday at 10:00 a.m.&meet our new pastorBarbara Marks

at

The Elk’s Lodge44 Maynard Street, Middletown, CT

~Scripture:

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a &Mark 9:30-37~Announcements:

The FUMC Picnic will begin at 12 p.m.THIS SUNDAY at The Lawrence’s home (72 Jacobs Terrace, Middletown). Everyone is invited to attend. Ted and Shirley will provide the hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, iced tea and lemonade. Folks can bring their favorite main dish to share or a dessert. We look forward to seeing you. Please contact Shirley or Ted Lawrence if you have any questions at 860-343-7265.

The Finance Committee will meet this Wednesday evening Sept. 23rd at 7 p.m. at the parsonage. Contact Warren Western with any questions.

Next Sunday, September 27th, Morning Worship will include guests from Tres Dias sharing their music, witness, and JOY for Jesus. Please give them a warm Middletown Church welcome!

Christian Education -‘Remembering Your Story’ series will begin NEXT SUNDAY, September 27th, immediately following fellowship. Please sign up TODAY!

Join our Mission and Outreach Team! – We had a great first meeting of First UMC Middletown members interested in mission and outreach, with many great ideas surfacing. Some of you have already expressed interest in specific mission and outreach efforts, and we look forward to your continuing participation and leadership. Specific teams are being formed now for a Habitat for Humanity build in cooperation with Wesleyan University, as well as support for shut-in members of our congregation. See John Blossom if interested.

Amazing Grace Donations can now be brought to church any Sunday. In addition to tuna and cereal, they are looking for donations of oatmeal, coffee and soup. The Missions committee will collect these items every Sunday and deliver to Amazing Grace. Please contact Marsha Judson with any questions at 860-346-0005.

The Coordinator of Rides to The Elk’s Lodge in Middletown is Jill Bennett. Please contact Jill at 860-345-7382 if you are in need of a ride to our new location.

Do not hesitate to call the church office with any questions or concerns.

*Please bear with us as the parsonage is under renovation. If you need to contact us and can't reach us by phone, please email the church office. We check our email regularly and will get back to you as soon as possible.Thank you for your patience.

We have a lot to celebrate as a church community! Through faith, we have made an amazing transition to a new way of worship, we are committed to building a new future for our church, and we continue to care for and to cherish the people who have brought us to where we are today, even as we invite new people to be a part of our community. Most of all, we have TODAY - a time to celebrate being who we are, as we are!

Join us on Sunday as we celebrate the end of Summer with food, fun, inspiration, and good people. If you're back from your Summer travels, Pastor Barbara Marks welcomes the opportunity to get to know you better, and for you to connect with her. If you're relatively new to First UMC Middletown, come by with your loved ones and get to know people in a more relaxed setting. We thank the Lawrences for making their beautiful home and yard available to us. See you there!

We had a great discussion at our mission and outreach meeting on Sunday, thanks to all who came and provided meaningful and heartfelt suggestions and updates. One of the items that we discussed deserves our immediate attention - the importance and the value of our Amazing Grace food donations campaign.

We heard that a couple of weeks ago, we got quite a few contributions for Amazing Grace - enough to fill a few sizable bags. Think of a family in need, and how much every bag can count. How can we express thanks to God for our material and spiritual abundance through these donations? It brings God's healing to the world in an important way - Jesus made it clear that "daily bread" matters for both our bodies and our souls!

First UMC Middletown has done a good job of carrying on this ministry through good times and hard times, and we have much to be grateful for through your efforts. What we could use now is leadership for our food ministries that will help to coordinate contributions, goals, and communications to ensure that we can celebrate this ministry more regularly and make the people who receive these donations and other food ministries a part of our spiritual family more concretely.

What can everyday First UMC members and friends do? Think of Amazing Grace families as part of your family. What can you bring your family home from the market? What would you want to feed them with, as if they were at your own table? Individually none of us has to bear an unreasonable load, but together, with God, all things are possible!

3, 2, 1 - Liftoff! Fall is upon us, and First UMC Middletown is already deep into planning for many new mission and outreach projects. But whatever our plans, God has bigger plans for us. What is God's moonshot mission - or, as Jesus put it, "Who do you say that I am?" Just when Jesus' disciples thought that their answer was A-OK, Jesus rocketed them on a whole new course. This Sunday, Certified Lay Servant John Blossom will lead First UMC Middletown worship, as he explores the radical nature of Christ's mission in our own lives. 10AM, 44 Maynard Street - bring a friend! Background reading: Mark 8:27-38.

Important note - worship this Sunday will be in the lower rear room of the facility; signs will mark the way. Mission and outreach meeting after fellowship time.

Jesus once asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (see Mark 8:27-30). Today, Jesus asks us in the Holy Spirit: who do you say you are? Who do you say God is? Who do you say we are together?

To help us to find the answers to these questions, you are invited to join a "Remembering Your Story" group that will meet starting in September for six 90-minute sessions. Come to learn more about your own life story, how it fits into God's story, and how others view their evolving story of life and of faith. All are welcome to join us, including people new to First UMC Middletown, new to faith, or exploring faith.

This group will help you to gain spiritual perspective on the events of your own life, as we share and write up our own stories and listen appreciatively to other people’s stories. Working both in a small group and with a spiritual friend you will recall your own faith story, listen to others’ faith stories, reflect on biblical stories, and preserve your story as a legacy. Adults of all ages will benefit from this experience.

Participants will write sometimes during the meeting sessions, and, if they wish, between sessions, and will be encouraged to share their work with another group member or the group on a voluntary basis. No writing experience or expertise is necessary to enjoy this experience. The book Remembering Your Story, by Richard L. Morgan, will be used as a guide for these sessions, though advance reading it is not necessary; come to the sessions “as you are,” and make the most of this opportunity to expand your spiritual insights.Walk-ins welcome, but to help schedule group meetings, please respond to this invitation to John Blossom by signup sheet, in person, or via email or phone at: outreach@fumcmiddletownct.org, or via text or phone at 203.293.8511. See outline and session schedule for details.